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From Iran? If they did have the cure, how accessible would it be here in the U.S.. Can this be a ploy? I hope it's true although most people who have knowledge and do research claim the cure is no where near. I always wonder how they can cure cancer and not AIDS. Mutations occur but damn it I am sure they can make it stop some way or the other forever. I pray every day for a cure in my lifetime.

Iranian scientists discover herbal medicine for AIDS Tehran, Feb 3, IRNA Iran-AIDS-IMOD Minister of Health Kamran Baqeri Lankarani on Saturday said that Iran's young scientists have discovered herbal medicine that can control the spread of the HIV/AIDS virus in an infected person.

"The medicine is produced from herbs using nano technology," he said.

"The herbal medicine effectively controls the spread of the AIDS virus in the blood system and increases a person's immunity," he said while addressing a ceremony to honor great achievements of young Iranian scientists.

The medicine, called IMOD, was invented by 15 research centers after four to five years of work. It has been tested on 200 volunteer patients.

IMOD is the fifth generation of medicines against AIDS in the world. The first generation of medicines prevents the spread of the virus and the second prevents infection with the virus.

The third generation prevents the spread of the AIDS virus in a patient while the fourth boosts the body's immunity.

Deputy Health Minister for Food and Medicine Rassoul Dinarvand told IRNA here Saturday that the herbal medicine against AIDS will be mass produced and made available to the public.

He added that the medicine will not kill the HIV virus but will effectively block its spread in the body.

TEHRAN (AFP) - Health Minister Kamran Baqeri Lankarani has announced that Iran's scientists have produced a herbal medicine that boosts the human's body immunity system against the HIV/ AIDS virus.

"The herbal-based medication, called IMOD, serves to control the AIDS virus and increases the body's immunity," Baqeri Lankarani was quoted as saying by the official news agency IRNA.

"It is not a medication to kill the virus, it rather can be used besides other anti-retroviral drugs," Baqeri Lankarani said on state radio.

The drug, made after five years of research, has been tested on 200 patients, IRNA said, adding that it is considered the fifth generation of medications helping control the HIV/AIDS virus.

"This is a substance good for both AIDS patients and those who carry the virus without showing the symptoms," the director of the project, Mohammad Farhadi, told state television.

Farhadi said the medication will now be tested on some 3,000 to 5,000 Iranian patients in the next year to monitor its efficacy.

Health Minister Baqeri Lankarani said that the number of HIV/AIDS cases in Iran stands at around 14,000 while 1,700 people have died of the disease.

Last June, Iranian officials warned about the rapid spread of HIV/AIDS infections in the country due to a surge in intravenous drug usage.

"If no action is taken against the spread of this disease as quickly as possible, the number of those infected will reach 100,000 by the end of the next Iranian year (March 2008)," said Iran's deputy health minister, Moayed Alavian.

Iran is believed to have at least two million regular drug users -- and possibly as many as 3.5 million. Alavian said addiction is growing by around eight percent a year.

Intravenous drug use is believed to be the main cause of HIV/AIDS infection at 62.3 percent, followed by "unknown causes" at 27.9 percent and sexual contact at 7.4 percent.

TEHRAN, Feb. 3--Health Minister Kamran Baqeri-Lankarani officially introduced the new herbal medicine called ’IMOD’ produced by Iranian scientists for curing Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS). Addressing Iranian scientists and researchers at the ceremony held for officially introducing the new medicine in Tehran’s Imam Khomeini Hospital, the health minister said 42 million people are presently HIV-positive in the world and 25 million patients have died of this disease.“The number of those afflicted with AIDS is increasing daily such that more than three million people died in 2005 alone,“ he said. Baqeri-Lankarani pointed out that Iran has identified about 14,000 HIV patients and 1,790 people have so far died of this disease. “These facts and figures indicate that we should take more serious measures in fighting AIDS,“ he said. Noting that the first case of AIDS was identified some 20 years ago in Iran, the minister pointed out that most cases of AIDS have spread among intravenous addicts.“For the same reason, the Health Ministry has considered curbing intravenous addiction as a prerequisite for controlling AIDS,“ he said. Noting that researchers of 15 Iranian research centers have managed to achieve this important scientific breakthrough after seven years, he said the drug increases by twofold the cd4-level (immune system) of HIV patients. The minister further said that the drug has been tested on more than 200 AIDS patients and increased the immunity level of patients after undergoing treatment for three months to one year. “Since IMOD is an herbal medicine, it does not have any serious side-effects,“ he said. Baqeri-Lankarani added that IMOD uses nano-biotechnology and acts very effectively on the immune system.IMOD will enter the international markets in a month. AIDS is a fatal disease caused by HIV virus and transmitted through blood transfusion, sexual intercourse and from HIV-positive mother to fetus.Although the official figures of AIDS patients are said to be 14,000, it is said that the real figure is 70,000. About five different drugs for treating and controlling AIDS, and prolonging the life of patients have been produced so far.

"According to Health Ministry officials, Iranian scientists have invented a formula to control symptoms of AIDS. "

There is a big difference between CONTROLLING and CURING...looks like this is more about controlling.... although I believe that controlling this bug will come first and any effort to do that is a good effort! Looks like our Persian players can be rather dramatic since they are throwing around the term "cure" more as an attention-getting tactic.

He added that the medicine will not kill the HIV virus but will effectively block its spread in the body.

The media seems to like to call any new hiv drug a "cure". Didn't they also do it when the PIs first came out? I don't think this tendency is limited to the Iranian press. They all do it.

This "new drug" is also mentioned in one of the selenium threads, because selenium seems to be the active ingredient. This means the media is doubly wrong in how they are reporting this. Selenium is NOT an herb, it's a mineral.

"...health will finally be seen not as a blessing to be wished for, but as a human right to be fought for." Kofi Annan

Nymphomaniac: a woman as obsessed with sex as an average man. Mignon McLaughlin

HIV is certainly character-building. It's made me see all of the shallow things we cling to, like ego and vanity. Of course, I'd rather have a few more T-cells and a little less character. Randy Shilts

As one of the previous posts explains, this "discovery" was noted in the media some months ago. From what I've read about it, though, none of the supposed findings have been published in any kind of peer-reviewed journal. So it's impossible to tell whether this is an actual treatment or just some kind of propaganda from the Islamic Republic.

Until I see its effectiveness demonstrated somewhere in the medical/scientific literature, you can color me skeptical . . .

I just find it kind of hard on people such as myself when I heard this type of news, it gives a false hope and as you read more in to it you come up with the same conclution that this crap is not going away any time soon. last year a friend of mine called me over exited because she heard of the cure for aids from the LA area, some sort of treatment that included cells and medications or something, I just wish the Media would choose more appropiated titles in their articles.

Irna is basically the Iranian equivalent of what Pravda was during the Soviet era. Now remind me again why I should swallow this article as anything more than domestic consumption propaganda to make the government look like it's actually doing something?

The media seems to like to call any new hiv drug a "cure". Didn't they also do it when the PIs first came out? I don't think this tendency is limited to the Iranian press. They all do it.

This "new drug" is also mentioned in one of the selenium threads, because selenium seems to be the active ingredient. This means the media is doubly wrong in how they are reporting this. Selenium is NOT an herb, it's a mineral.

Ann

Folks,read the article carefully. they are not claiming this is a cure for hiv. they say this can cure aids! they even tell you the medication does not kill the hiv virus. there is no exageration here. some of us dont seem to understand the difference between aids and hiv. they are talking about curing symptons eg painful joints, rush, nasty coughs, diarrhoea - which result from having a weak immune system. ie your immune system gets strengthened enough so you do not develop aids symptoms but you still have the virus.

Irna is basically the Iranian equivalent of what Pravda was during the Soviet era. Now remind me again why I should swallow this article as anything more than domestic consumption propaganda to make the government look like it's actually doing something?

Even countries like n. korea, russia, china & even iran have some of the best researchers (not just the west). personally, i try not involve politics in my judgement. this is why some western governments are able to lie and manipulate their citizens because people are ever so willing to believe whatever they say because they are supposed to be "best" in everything - even scientific research!

Even countries like n. korea, russia, china & even iran have some of the best researchers (not just the west). personally, i try not involve politics in my judgement. this is why some western governments are able to lie and manipulate their citizens because people are ever so willing to believe whatever they say because they are supposed to be "best" in everything - even scientific research!

I have no problem digesting information from Iran, or any scientific findings from Iran, if it was outside of government controlled pipe organ. I don't think that's a wildly radical view for me to take.

IMOD is the fifth generation of medicines against AIDS in the world. The first generation of medicines prevents the spread of the virus and the second prevents infection with the virus. The third generation prevents the spread of the AIDS virus in a patient while the fourth boosts the body's immunity.

More than anything else, I find this classification rather confusing. I'm probably not the only one who has never heard of any of these studies going on. Now, the announcement comes as a sudden surprise which is very unusual considering the possible impact of the findings. There's no article in a peer reviewed medical journal, but a state press release which mixes cure and control, puts in some herbs and peruses the catchy term of nanobiotech. Personally, I think this is utter rubbish. Especially as this announcement comes from a country where it's still considered a traditional and worthwhile pastime to stone gays...

Folks,read the article carefully. they are not claiming this is a cure for hiv. they say this can cure aids! they even tell you the medication does not kill the hiv virus. there is no exageration here. some of us dont seem to understand the difference between aids and hiv. they are talking about curing symptons eg painful joints, rush, nasty coughs, diarrhoea - which result from having a weak immune system. ie your immune system gets strengthened enough so you do not develop aids symptoms but you still have the virus.

denniss

Denniss,

The page linked to in the original post entitles its article "Health minister to unveil breakthrough in AIDS cure". The media rarely differentiates between HIV and AIDS - it's all the same to them.

True enough, when you read the article you realise there is no "cure", but the media persists in using the word. It's attention grabbing tactics, bugger how it makes people feel when hopes are raised and dashed, again and again and again.

Adding insult to injury, there is a huge ad on the same page for some sort of electricity based snake-oil quack cure.

"...health will finally be seen not as a blessing to be wished for, but as a human right to be fought for." Kofi Annan

Nymphomaniac: a woman as obsessed with sex as an average man. Mignon McLaughlin

HIV is certainly character-building. It's made me see all of the shallow things we cling to, like ego and vanity. Of course, I'd rather have a few more T-cells and a little less character. Randy Shilts

a cure? i hope it's true but something tells me it is more of a treatment than cure. I would fly to Iran and sell all of my personal belongings to get a hold of that so called natural cure but this is not the first time I have heard of such thing. God please help us all. It would be a slap in the face for American pharmas companies if Iran, a so called 3rd world country, and enemy of the U.S. to find a cure before Western Europe and U.S. I actually would kinna a believe that Iran would have an incentive to find a cure but pharma companies are very powerful and will dismiss it immediately. Who should we believe?

Iran introduces new AIDS treatment TEHRAN, Feb. 3 (MNA) -- Health Minister Kamran Baqeri Lankarani announced here on Saturday that Iran’s scientists have produced a herbal medicine that helps control the HIV/AIDS virus. The drug improves the immunity system against the HIV/AIDS virus and can be used besides other anti-retroviral drugs, Baqeri Lankarani said at a ceremony held to introduce the AIDS control medicine and appreciate the medical achievements by Iranian researchers.

The herbal drug called IMOD, is the result of five years of research and has been tested on 200 patients. It boosts the human body’s immunity system in a 90-day treatment course and a 2-year follow up.

“Deficiency of the body’s immune system reflects a decrease in CD4 cells that lead to appearance of AIDS symptoms,” he said, adding that the new drug controls the multiplication of HIV virus and thus helps increasing the CD4 cells.

The herbs used in production of IMOD are completely Iranian native plants, he noted.

Iran is the only country in the region that provides free HIV drugs to the patients, Baqeri Lankarani said.

Iran’s top AIDS expert and Head of the Iranian AIDS Research Center Minoo Mohraz stated in the ceremony, “A medicine that is used for curing AIDS, should be completely secure and reliable,” and this is applied in the new medicine.

“The new medicine’s dose is much smaller than that used in anti-retroviral drugs,” she said, adding that the immunity system of 65 percent of the patients was completely increased in 21 months and there were no noticeable side effects.

“I believe that the drug should be used for HIV patients whose CD4 is below 350, to prevent them from entering the severe level of AIDS,” she stated.

The drug also decreases cell receivers and thus fewer viruses can enter the cells, however, other effects of the drug are still being studied, she added.

You guys dont really believe this crap, do you? We have been hearing stuff like this for twenty years from people with more credibility than Iran and it is never true.Untill your Dr. writes you a script for it, do not believe it.If you take the drugs available today you will probably live a normal lifespan, you'll just spend more time on the toilet.

You guys dont really believe this crap, do you? We have been hearing stuff like this for twenty years from people with more credibility than Iran and it is never true.Untill your Dr. writes you a script for it, do not believe it.If you take the drugs available today you will probably live a normal lifespan, you'll just spend more time on the toilet.

It's not a matter of believing if this works or not....it's more of a matter of hopes. I think most people here would not jump to conclusions unless there are solid evidence that this is legitimate. I understand that news like this can be frequent, but you never know....one of these days, this kinda news could come true. Don't get me wrong, I am skeptical about it too....but HIV news is news and it doesn't hurt to hear what others have to say.

Lets take a look at some Iranian medical history. Oh,wait a minute,there isn't any. Nothing wrong with having hope and I have hope that someday there will a cure, but you can bet your last dollar it wont be Iran. These guys are just fucking with us like they do on everything. They would be rolling around laughing if they thought anyone really believed this crap. They are probably having a laugh riot just cause some one was stupid enough to print it. Sort of funny, but didn't North Korea make a claim they had a cure too?

Lets take a look at some Iranian medical history. Oh,wait a minute,there isn't any. Nothing wrong with having hope and I have hope that someday there will a cure, but you can bet your last dollar it wont be Iran. These guys are just fucking with us like they do on everything. They would be rolling around laughing if they thought anyone really believed this crap. They are probably having a laugh riot just cause some one was stupid enough to print it. Sort of funny, but didn't North Korea make a claim they had a cure too?

I wouldn't limit myself on the medical community. Afterall, the education in the US is not the best of the best. It wouldn't surprise me that other countries would come up with a cure before any of the powerhouses in the world. In terms of science, I think it's game for everyone....but that doesn't mean i'm not going to be conscious and just be an idiot and believe everything people say. It's more interesting to hear about claims such as this one and see where it leads.

I think this is all smoke and mirrors. My first boyfriend was Iranian - trust me, they're backwards and byzantine at the same time. I've followed this since the end of last year when I first noticed it and it doesn't seem to be developing at all - it's a "don't bomb us, we can save humanity" deal.

"...health will finally be seen not as a blessing to be wished for, but as a human right to be fought for." Kofi Annan

Nymphomaniac: a woman as obsessed with sex as an average man. Mignon McLaughlin

HIV is certainly character-building. It's made me see all of the shallow things we cling to, like ego and vanity. Of course, I'd rather have a few more T-cells and a little less character. Randy Shilts

My first boyfriend was Iranian - trust me, they're backwards and byzantine at the same time. ........................l - it's a "don't bomb us, we can save humanity" deal.

i agree with u completely. it would make a huge difference if this was discovered in a western civilised country - a country which, for instance, is run by capitalist racist rednecks who have, in the past few decades bombed a few countries for reasons only best known to them. the persians - what have they contributed to modern civilisation? how dare they claim to have discovered something that might turn out to be much better than the cheap side-effect-free products from the civilized west? just as well someone civilized & smart is fixin to bomb them!

dont believe this 'cure' business. afterall, Cuba helped in the research. Cuba has one of the best health systems in the world and some of the best researchers but that shouldnt matter - they are backwards because they refuse to 'pick up soap' for the civilized rednecks. besides, who has Cuba bombed or tried to bomb? how many wars have they started? theyve never even used a nuclear bomb on any country! you can not get any more backwards than this!

forget all the brilliant foreign researchers in the west educated in countries that r backwards - they stop being backwards & become civilized soon as they cross our borders

All of the above, PLUS: the Iranian "government" controls the media, and until that is no longer the case, both there and in any other country in that situation, everything, and I mean everything, coming out as "news" is immediately suspect.

Logged

"Hope is my philosophy Just needs days in which to beLove of Life means hope for meBorn on a New Day" - John David

It would be something else if Iran were to be the one to cure it. I personally offer as an incentive to the country that finds the cure that my wife and I will vacation in their capital city for an entire week as a way to give back to their economy.

denniss, if what you said were true, then why did Cuba have specialists come other countries to do his surgery?

the spanish doctor is one of the top guys in his field in the world. that does not mean Cuba has a crap medical setup. in the americas, cuba has one of the lowest rates of hiv. use the internet and find out about these so called backward countries. dont just buy all the "we are great" bs we are constantly bombarded with. being patriotic does not mean swallowing all the spew that gets thrown your way. remember vietnam, iraq - we were told they were evil, went to war & yet no one in their right mind will stand up & say the wars were legit.

i really wonder about pipo that look down on others. true politics sucks in some of these countries but that does not mean they are not capable of producing brilliant researchers. its amazing how when a chinese researcher in a western institution makes an anoucement about some marvellous result pipo just buy it but if the same anoucement was to be made in china its a different story. these countries may have poor human rights, dodgy politicians (we do have them as well) and any other bad thing u can think of but they are capable of delivering.

yes lets be skeptic when their politicians get in on that handshake picture opportunity but dont write off a whole people because they live different from the way we do. everytime this happened in history the results were bad - slavery, jews & nazis, american indians ...........

what would u say if someone said some of the principles used in modern medicine were started by Africans - like vaccination?

as far as im concerned, the cure could be found by anyone - including those that think others are backwards.

I would hope that Cuba has the lowest rate considering they have a population of 11 million. The population of the State of New York is 19 million. The Cubian government also quarantines their positive population. Do you think that is something that would go over in the US or the UK?

i have great doubts about this iran hiv discovery, but who knows hope springs eternal

Today: Thursday March 01, 2007Lankarani: Registration of new HIV drug in Europe in final stageTehran, Feb 8, IRNA

Iran-HIV-LankaraniMinister of Health Kamran Baqeri Lankarani here on Thursday said that registration of a new herbal medicine invented by Iranians that controls the spread of the HIV/AIDS virus in an infected person is at its final stage.

"The medicine is produced from herbs using nano technology," he said.

"The herbal medicine effectively controls the spread of the AIDS virus in the blood system and increases a person's immunity," he said.

The medicine, called IMOD, was invented by 15 research centers after four to five years of work. It has been tested on 200 volunteer patients, he pointed out.

IMOD is the fifth generation of medicines against AIDS in the world. The first generation of medicines prevents the spread of the virus and the second prevents infection with the virus.

The third generation prevents the spread of the AIDS virus in a patient while the fourth boosts the body's immunity.

Speaking to reporters, he underscored the fact that the Islamic Republic of Iran is the only country in the Middle East which prescribes the medicine free of charge.

This new medicine bears no side effects and helps increase the immunity of the infected body in dealing with the disease, he said.

The medicine could very well raise Iran's status in the global health community in its battle to find a cure for the deadly AIDS disease, he added.

I guess only time will tell whether this Iranian cure will work or not. I read somewhere that they will sell this cure in Europe pretty soon. My expectations are low on this one, but you never know.....this might be it.

Just to clarify - I was being tongue in cheek when I remarked that Iranians are both "backwards and byzantine". There are some extremely bright people in Iran, like any other nation. The point I was making is that they don't have the freedoms that scientists in the west enjoy - there is political interference at every level, and I imagine even more so with this issue as it has big geopolitical consequences.

Also, I think there's a distinction between a country having a good healthcare system, like Cuba, and being innovative researchers. Cuba has a good healthcare system - with an excellent doctor to population ratio. On the other hand, medical research requires a "critical mass" of thinkers, equipment and funding, which is why only bigger universities do it, and also why all of the HIV drugs in current use have been developed by big pharma, not the academic sector. Although I agree that new treatments or even the cure could come from anywhere, I know where the smart money is sitting, and it's not Iran or Cuba.

At least the woman in the interview (if it is a real person...) acknowledges the importance of peer review, and that they intend to present it. And the issue about patents also semi-plausible, as a reason for the delay on releasing info on this "treatment". As usual, we'll have to wait and see! As for me, I'm not waiting, and already taking my Selenium supplements daily, 400mcg...J.

Logged

"Hope is my philosophy Just needs days in which to beLove of Life means hope for meBorn on a New Day" - John David